Uncle Henry Visits Disneyland - Summer of 1966

Sixty years ago, my Uncle Henry came out to California (from Maryland) to visit my mom and dad.  He was my dad's younger brother and there was a 17-year difference in their ages.  During his stay, my dad took him to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Marineland.  In the past, I've posted just a couple photos of him at each of those locations, but today, I am presenting all of the photos from his trip to Disneyland.  There are 24 shots, that's a whole role of film!

This is the first shot my dad took that day, and it appears to have been taken from the upper level of an Omnibus.  (Awww, rest in peace, E.J. Peaker!).  Based on the time on the clock, we know that they arrived at the park fairly late in the afternoon.

These were all scanned from slides, and I have never seen physical "prints" of any of these.  My family's slides were buried in the back of a bedroom closet for years, and were not "dug" out until I was in high school.  I remember being excited to see a hint of The House of the Future in this next shot, but also frustrated that more of it wasn't showing.  As a huge Disneyland fan, I was well aware of it's existence, even though I was too young to have experienced it.

In these next two pics, my uncle is standing on the Castle's drawbridge.

My dad lowered his camera a little bit for this next shot.  Maybe he wanted to capture my uncle's reflection in the moat?

Based on the numbering on the slide mounts, it looks like they headed over to the west side of the park, first.

I love my dad's Jungle Cruise pics!  Incidentally, all of these scenes have been altered to some degree, or removed altogether.

I wonder if this photo was a "whoopsie," or if it was intentional?  There were some large circular lines on the image.  I'm not sure where they came from, since there didn't appear to be a fingerprint on the slide.  Maybe they were caused by the bright sunlight coming through the bamboo and hitting the camera's lens?

It looks like my dad went on ahead of my uncle, so that he could snap a pic of him coming down the stairs of the Swiss Family Treehouse.  (That's my uncle in the blue shirt and jeans.)

 The Columbia was teeming with people!

This photo of the Friendly Indian Village was probably taken from the Mark Twain or a Keelboat, since it is too low of an angle to have been taken from the Columbia.  Just beyond the trees, we can see the abandoned right of way for the Disneyland R.R.  The tracks had been relocated further north very recently, for the construction of It's A Small World (which had opened just two months earlier).

Speaking of Keelboats, the Bertha Mae was passing by at just the right moment, as my uncle was crossing the pontoon bridge on Tom Sawyer Island.

Next we have the former Fort Wilderness.  I hope my uncle didn't lose a finger in one of the fort's blockhouses!  I am now realizing how many other things in my dad's photos no longer exist, or have been majorly altered.  Sad!

These next two photos are the only ones that my dad took in Tomorrowland.  I wish he had taken pics of other parts of the land, since it would be closing in just three months (October of 1966), for construction of the New Tomorrowland.  Oh, well.....beggars can't be choosers!  I'm just happy to have ANY vintage Disneyland photos taken by my dad.

Since there are just these two Tomorrowland pics, I can't help but wonder if they experienced anything else in that land, other than the Autopia and the Submarine Voyage.

They did catch the Skyway in Tomorrowland, and made their way over to Fantasyland.....

In this next pic, we can see that the Anaheim Convention Center was under construction.  It would open just one year later, in July of 1967.

Attn: "JB"......Pumpkin Coach Alert!

Here's another view of Cinderella's Castle, but taken from a Storybook Land Canal Boat.

This next shot was taken from the deck of Captain Hook's pirate ship....we can see some of the ropes and rigging on the far right.  We can also see Timothy Mouse holding his whip, and one of the Character Food Stands (Fan I).  At first I thought that the small specks of light in the sky (underneath the Skyway gondola) might the beginning or ending of a bursting firework shell, but it's actually a little too far south for it to be that.  After reading a comment from "Meet The World" follower, "JB," I now believe those lights are actually Tinkerbell, "sliding down her wire."  Back then, her landing platform was located behind the Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland attraction, so everything lines up perfectly, here.  Also, I don't know why else my dad would have taken this photo.

The last two pics taken that day were of the fireworks.

I hope my uncle had fun during his one and only visit to Disneyland.  I do know that he never returned to California after this childhood visit.  He was averse to flying, and never flew in an airplane his entire life.  For this 1966 trip, he had shared a car ride across the country and back, with some "family friends" who were coming out to California to visit relatives of their own.

****BONUS****

I wanted to add something else to this post, so I searched on ebay and purchased a 1966 Disneyland Guidebook.  I've scanned every page, so here it is in it's entirety.

Since these were free to every guest (courtesy of INA), I wonder if my uncle saved his and took it back home with him?

Only .25 cents a day to board your cat or dog at Ken-L-Land, and it included food, too?  What a deal!

Since this isn't one of my own Disneyland Guidebooks from one of my own childhood visits, I find even some of the slightest differences very interesting.  For example, seeing the Mad Tea Party listed as a "B" Ticket attraction.  It was always a "C" Ticket, during my childhood and teenage years.

The new four-seat Skyway "buckets" were being touted in the attraction's description, and Pirates of the Caribbean was "Coming Soon!"

It looks like they were using the ticket booth built into the facade of the Opera House (the black star).  I don't think it was there very long and at some point, a poster was placed over the ticket window.  That ticket window can be seen here, in this post from Gorillas Don't Blog.

I don't remember Aunt Jemima's Kitchen, but when Aunt Jemima ended it's sponsorship at Disneyland (in 1970), the restaurant briefly changed names to "Magnolia Tree Terrace," before becoming the current Riverbelle Terrace.

New Orleans Square would have been brand-spanking new!  I bet the smell of fresh paint was still in the air.  Once again, Pirates of the Caribbean was listed as "Coming Soon."  It would open in March of the following year, just about six months after the summer season ended.

The Haunted Mansion was listed as a future attraction on the Frontierland map.  Construction on the exterior of the house had been completed in 1963, so it had already been sitting there for 3 years, and it would be another 3 years before the attraction ever opened!

It looks like Fantasyland had the most ticket booths out of all the lands.  I think it's interesting that they put one on either side of the Mad Tea Party.  The one to the east of the attraction was not there during my childhood visits.  And It's a Small World, which was only a couple months old, looks a little mispositioned here on the map.  It is shown sitting directly behind (and maybe even overlapping) Storybook Land.  That was corrected in later guidebooks.

It's fun for me to see the schematic layout for the original Tomorrowland, since all of my personal guidebooks are from after the opening of the New Tomorrowland.  Note that the Matterhorn Bobsleds were still listed as a Tomorrowland attraction at this time.  Apparently, both of the Autopias were also being listed as Tomorrowland attractions.

I also don't remember the Main St. train station's "Train Depot Snack Bar."  I wonder how long it existed?

So the Space Bar and the Yacht Bar had the exact same menus?

The Submarine Lagoon's live "mermaids" were listed in the guide's entertainment schedule.

Free Shows and Exhibits:

The back cover featured an ad for INA, the Insurance Company of North America.  They sponsored this format of the Disneyland Guidebooks for 10 years, from the very first one in 1965, all the way through 1974.

Veterans Day - The U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Fort Dix, & at Sea

Today is Veteran's Day, and once again, I would like to thank all of the Veterans out there, in addition to all of the men and women who are currently serving.

Here are some more photos from my dad's collection.  These were all taken after he first reported for service with the U.S. Army, but prior to being sent to McNair Barracks in Berlin, Germany.

My dad was initially sent to Fort Benning (Fort Moore, today) in Georgia, for his basic training.  He took quite a few photos at this location, but unfortunately, I don't know the names of most of the soldiers.

 

 

 

According to the name patch on the uniform, this would be Pvt. Ross (or maybe Rose?).

Pvt. Dawson:

Pvt. Turner:

Based on the attire, I'm guessing this guy was a cook.  Maybe they called him "Cookie"?  Note the large box of saltine crackers in his hand.  I wonder if the soldiers on the far left, were lined up for the mess hall?  I'm also wondering if that object hanging next to the window, was a type of "gong" for signaling when it was mealtime?

This was the only photo in the bunch, which allowed me to see what was in the center of the "star" on all of the soldiers' sleeves.  This is a "2nd Infantry" patch, also nicknamed "The Indianhead Division."

The same image was used on the letterhead of the base's stationary.  This is from a letter that my dad wrote to his family back home.

Pvt. Mathias:

 My dad is in these next four photos.

 

 

After finishing his basic training at Fort Benning, but before being sent to Germany, my dad was sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey.  He wasn't there very long, which would explain why he didn't take as many photos at that location.  The next five photos are all from Fort Dix.  

The soldier in the distance here, looks like he might be holding a transistor radio.  And his face looks like it was covered with shaving cream.  Note the pair of feet hanging over the edge of the bunk, above.

More feet!

In February of 1959, my dad was taken from Fort Dix to New York, to board a military transport ship and set sail for Germany.  This next pic was taken from a moving vehicle, traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike.  If you squint, you can see the Statue of Liberty way off in the distance.

And this is the view from that same spot, today.

My dad took this next photo before boarding the U.S.N.S. Geiger (the ship which would take him to Germany).  The ship seen here, is the U.S.N.S. Upshur.

And these next two pics were taken after boarding the U.S.N.S. Geiger.  The other ship in these photos is the Concordia Sun.

This color image shows my dad standing on the deck of the U.S.N.S. Geiger, while en route to Germany.

The U.S.N.S. Geiger was a U.S. Navy transport ship, and was first used during the Korean War.  In later years, it operated primarily out of New York, traveling to England, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, North Africa, and American bases in the Caribbean.

Here's an image from Wikipedia, showing the U.S.N.S Geiger out at sea.

According to the name patch and rank insignia on this soldier's uniform, he was Private First Class "Lant."

I believe this part of the ship is called the tower mast, and that the windows visible at the top are the ship's bridge.  Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

And I think these two cylindrical objects on the deck are called, "mooring bollards."

The water appears to be a little rough here.

All of these ship images were pretty dark, and required some "lightening."  This was the best I was able to do with this next image.  It does look like it was pretty overcast, and the deck looks wet, so perhaps it was raining.

I wonder if that was another military ship out there on the horizon?

This set of photos contained only two "interior" shots of the ship.  Maybe that soldier was writing a letter home to his parents or girlfriend?

Here he is again, shining his shoes.

The ship had it's own daily newsletter, The Geiger Counter.  My dad saved the issues from the last two days of travel.

The last day's newsletter was labeled, "Souvenir Edition," and had special cover artwork, along with the message, "Welcome to Deutschland."  (The ship was arriving at Bremerhaven, Germany.)

The first page had special farewell messages from the ship's captain and the crew.

The fact that there was a children's playroom on the ship, tells me that there must have also been civilians on board.  Perhaps if a soldier's family was going to follow him and relocate to his assigned location, they were allowed to travel with him on the same military ship?

Oh boy, a children's party with games, prizes and refreshments, on the Promenade Deck!  I hope the refreshments were served by "Isaac, Your Bartender," and that the games were supervised by "Julie, Your Cruise Director."

This page included world news events.  I wonder if Khrushchev was already planning his upcoming trip to America and to Disneyland.  (He was originally supposed to visit Disneyland on September 19, 1959, but the visit was canceled, due to security concerns.)

More world news, including the 1959 Academy Award nominations for best actor and actress:

This page had an article about how the bridge of the ship is it's "brain," and also a poem, "Ode To An Army Wife."

The last page showed the current position of the ship, along with a few other details.  That line going across the Atlantic Ocean shows the ship's progress, starting with it's departure from New York, and extending across towards it's destination of Bremerhaven, Germany.  At this point, the ship had already been at sea for six and a half days.  Since this was the last day before reaching Germany, it must have taken a full week to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  When my mom was hired to work for the U.S. Army Special Services Division that same year, they flew her to Germany on a military airplane.  I suppose it wouldn't have been very practical, to fly every single U.S. soldier to their various European destinations.

I believe once my dad arrived in Bremerhaven, Germany, he then traveled by train to Berlin.  I don't have any pictures to document this, but I do have this picture from when he was leaving Berlin for Bremerhaven, at the end of his two years of service.  My mom took this picture while seeing him off at the train station.  The photo is labeled "Leaving Berlin," and it's dated August 29, 1960.  My mom left Berlin three months later, and married my dad just a couple weeks after she arrived back in the U.S.